ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1903, 16 September 1884, Page 3

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

It was rather stupid of Mr W. F. Buckland to speik as he did about miners when the Mines Act Amendment Act was before the House. Admitting that miners are, as he says they are, well paid, it cannot be denied that they work hard for their wages, and their work is neither the cleanest nor the pleasantest. 1 know a good many who have worked in mines, and I am quite sure there are far more of them suffering from rheumatism than from full pockets. With re gard to his accusation that they waste their substauce in riotous living, I really do not believe that they are any worse in that respect than any other section of the community, but they aie openhanded and generous, and always try t ) live happily. Certainly they do not save much money as n, rule, though I heard of one instance of a man working in a mine for a little more than a year, and so economical was he, though he lived comfoitably the while, that at the end of that time he had saved sufficient money to pay for the passages of his wife and family and himself to England, and was able to send home a diaft for £1000. there was rather a good joke in connection with that speech of Mr Bucklaud's. The Press Association gave the credit, or the blame, of it to Mr J. C. Buckland, of Waikouditi, brother of the member for Franklin North. Speaking about the matter, one ge.itlemen who knows both brother intimately said, "There is no chance i Mr J. C. Buckland having made such a speech, as he nevci spc.iks unless lie lias something to say," rather rough on Mr W, F. Buckland. "Do I sleep ? Do T dream ? Do I wonder and doubt ? Is things what they seem or is visions about.?" The above quotation has been e\ti acted from me by the discovery that Sir George Grey is actually tiying to do something to the living thousands instead of the unborn millions, though the latter will also be benefited '• in the sweet bye and bye." 1 refer to the introduction of a bill to abolish the postage rate on newspapers printed in the colony. I can quite believe that after deducting the puce of the stamps, the cost of selling them and the cost of defacing them, theie is not much balance lett to be absoibed into the maelstrom of colonial finance and that, therefore, the abolition of the charge will not lead to any considerable loss to the levonue. If the Bill is passed, as I should think it is almost ceitain to be, it would be a great saving of tiouble and expense to people gcneially and will lead to a better knowledge of New Zealand on the pait of people in England and elswhpre. What better advertisement could the colony p ) s bly la et'ai the newapape s published in it. People iv the old Country open their eyes with wonder v> lien they see two such daily pipeis as the " Hoi aid" and "Star" published in a town with a population of 40,000, and a tii-weekly papei like The Waikato Times published in a sparely populated district containing about 10,000 souls. Another advantage of the pioposal will be that it will remove one of the restitutions to tiavelhng, for we are fast approaching the state of things existing in America. An American lady infoimcu a friend who expiessed surpiise that she had not been to Em ope, that she could afford to «o the tiip, but she really could not manage to pay for postage on all the newspapers in •» hich she was reading serial stories. # r We are just enjoying the mild but pleasant excitement of our annual municipal elections. Of the six councilors, who retired by efHuviou of time, one was re-elected without opposition. Another was put " out of the tunning " thiough his ha\ ing been nominated by a man whose name did not appear on the burgess roll. This was Councilor Field, one of the representatives of Ponsonby Ward As someone remarked, he went too far ufeld to get a pioposer. In his anxiety to get his nomination paper signed by repiesentatives of different paits of the ward, he obtained the signature of a non-ratepayer, and so the nomination was informal. Losing his election was not his only misfortune. He issued a piintfid addiess to the latepayers, but, though he is a pi inter and should have been acquainted with the requirements of the law, he issued it without an imprint. For this he was prosecuted by Mr Hughes, to whom an uncomplimentary reference was made in the address. The case was dismissed on technical grounds, but it is said that it is to be bi ought on again. In each of the other waids there are two candidates for each seat, and, in addition, these are two candidates for the seat vacated by the present M.H.I?, for City Noith. Whatever is the result of the vat ions elections, it is ceitain that there will be an infusion of new blood into the council, which will be an advantage, even if it id not an unmixed one. It is not well to base none but tyros in a body like the city council, at the same time that it is a good thing to have some fiesh men, with fiesh ideas, lettirned occasionally, and we know that there is a deal of tiufch in the proverbnew brooms sweep clem. Tinning from our City Fathers to the City Mothers, I nc/iioe tnafc a good many of the latter lia\e beten set palpitating by the announcement of a bjby i>how to be held shortly, for which no less thau seventy entiies have been already received. Judging by the number of perambulators to be seen in Queen Street any fine afternoon, I should think there would be no difficulty in getting seventy times seventy entiies, considering no fee is charged for entrance and that every mother considers her own baby to be incomparably the best ever seen. When and where the show is to be held has not yet been announced, but I think the vaiious chemists in the city should lay in a good supply of cotton wool for the benefit of intending visitors, as no doubt there will be a grand squalling match to asceitain which of the exhibits Ins the best pair of lungs. The great difficulty will be to obtain impartial judges, I think no man should be considered eligible, but that the task should be entrusted to a jury of matrons, better still of grandmothers, due care being taken that none of them are in any way related to any of the interresting little objects exhibited. # * What are to be the proposals made in the " Financial Statement," as one of our respected fellow citizens once called it, is the question that is agitatiDg the minds of all and sundry just now. It is to be hoped that there are good grounds for the belief that they will include a remission of taxation, as that will be received with pleasure by all classes of the community. Ho.v many millions are we to borrow, and where is the money to be spent when it has been raised ? If the plan, which has been adopted hitherto with unvarying monotony, is to be followed again—spending the major portion of the money in the Middle Island— l should not be at all surprised to see a very decided move in the direction of financial separation between the two islands. It is only fair that the interest on the loans should be paid by the districts in which the money has been expended. That being so, the Provincial district of Auckland will not have a very large amount to pay. If financial separation is to take plaoe, and I believe it must do so sooner or later, I think the sooner it takes place the better for us. Our prosperity is surely though slowly increasing, and before, long our Canterbury and Otago friends will find that they are wrong in believing that they carry Auckland on their backs. On the contrary Auckland is not only paying its way but is contributing more than its fair quota to the. Colonial Exchequer. All that we ask is that we shall pay only our share in proportion to the benefits we receive, and we will be quite satisfied. ' St. Mungo.

Mr Benrose, Shaftesbury, offers a reward for ths recovery ot a'faay gelding.